Wire drawing apparatus



p 1936- J. B. MOSS WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 19, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1936. J. B. MOSS WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 19, 1933 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Mr El Patented Sept. 8, 1936 PATENT OFFICE WIRE DRAWING APPARATUS John B. Moss, Providence, R. I., assignor to Kennecott Wire and Cable Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application December 19, 1933, Serial No. 703,143

'7 Claims.

cause there is not synchronism between the wire drawing and the spooling. This disadvantage may be overcome by devising a common drive for both operations; and it is the principal object of my invention to so utilize a common drive, and preferably by driving the wire spool from the wire drawing shafting.

Another disadvantage encountered in the standard practice arises because there is difficulty in properly compensating for the constantly increasing size of the wire spool as the wire is reeled thereon. It is therefore another object of my invention to provide an automatic compensation for changes in diameter of the wire spool, to thus ensure maintenance of a constant peripheral speed operation, local variations in speed may occur; even though the wire spool is driven in unison with the drawing operation, such speed variations effect a corresponding change in the tension of the spooled wire, and produce local stresses during annealing and a resulting tendency to bind. It is a further object of my invention to maintain a uniform tension on the spooled wire during the entire spooling operation.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, as will hereinafter appear, my invention comprises a novel method and a novel apparatus more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a spooling arrangement forming part of a wire drawing apparatus, and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.-

It has been found desirable to drive a wire spool from a wire drawing apparatus, and to wind the spooled wire at a uniform lin'ear speed and under uniform tension. To this end, I have provided a belt which is driven from the wire draw- Although the wire drawing is a continuous ing apparatus and which drives the spool by direct contact, the drive for the belt being shiftable' under constant tension in order to compensate for the increasing size of the wire spool as the wire is reeled thereon.

A preferred arrangement is illustrated in the figures, in which the wire drawing apparatus is represented by a housing l0 and a finished wire drum ll the wire W passes from the housing [0 over an idler pulley l2 to the finished wire drum, and then passes upwardly to an overhead pulley l3 rotatably mounted on a stationary standard l4 fixed to a support I5, then downwardly through a plurality of guide pulleys l6, l1 and i8 and to the spool iii. The guide pulleys are mounted on a vertically adjustable holder 20, which in turn is horizontally shiftable in timed relation to the spool drive to properly traverse the wire on the spool. The spool is carried on a sectional shaft 2|, held in fixed end bearings 22, 23, one section of the shaft being removable horizontally to permit insertion and removal of the wire spool.

The spool driving mechanism is best illustrated in Fig. 2, and includes a V "pulley 24 rotatably mounted on a. transverse shaft 25 which is suitably supported in bearings, the V pulley having an associated pulley 26 which is driven by a belt 21 from the wire drawing shafting. A second V pulley 28 is mounted on a cross shaft 29 supported in end rocker bearings 30, 3| which are keyed to the shaft 25, a rocker 32 also being keyed to the shaft 25 and having one end of a tension spring 33 attached thereto, the other end being fixed as to a support 34 secured to the frame l5. A flat belt pulley 35 is keyed to the free end of the shaft 29, and a fiat spool belt 36 passes from the pulley 35 to engage the hub of the spool I 9 and the wire wound thereon. The spool belt thus contacts the reeled wire circumferentially over approximately a 200 degree arc.

The operation of the novel arrangement may now be explained:

The spool being positioned on its shaft, and within the spool belt, the wire W from the wire drawing apparatus is guided onto the wire spool, and is traversed to wind thereon, the spool rotation being produced by movement of the spool belt in timed relation to the rotation of the wire drawing shafting. The spool belt hugs the reeled wire under uniform tension, as the slight movement of. the rocker 32 does not appreciably change the spring leverage. As the diameter of the reeled wire increases, the lower end of the spool belt widens and the upper end moves down against the tension of the spring, thus increasing 55 the rotative force in exact proportion to the increase in diameter of the reeled wire so as to maintain the wire tension uniform. The peripheral speed obviously remains constantly synchronized with the wire drawing operation, and the resilient control of the driving pressure results in a uniform wire tension for the spooled wire.

I have disclosed the novel combination of a wire drawing apparatus with a synchronized spooling mechanism; the spooling device, however, may be used for any spooling operation, as it will function to wind any material at a uniform speed and under uniform tension. The spooling mechanism may therebore be utilized after any wire treating operation.

I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that desired changes in the relative arrangement of the parts, in their proportion, and in their function, may be made to meet the requirements for different installations, within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 4

1. In a spooling mechanism, a freely rotatable spool, a belt pulley, a shaft therefor, a unitary belt of constant length engaging said pulley and said spool and the material wound thereon, and a rocker bearing device for said shaft adapted to rock'said shaft towards said spool as the diameter of the spooled material increases.

2. In a spooling mechanism, a'freely rotatable spool, a belt pulley, a shaft therefor, a unitary belt of constant length engaging said pulley and said spool and the material wound thereon, a rocker bearing device for said shaft adapted to rock said shaft towards said spool as the diameter of the spooled material increases, and resilient means for yieidingly resisting said rocking movement.

3. In a spooling mechanism, a freely rotatable spool, a belt pulley, a shaft therefor, a unitary belt of constant length encircling said pulley and said spool and the material wound thereon, a rocker bearing device for said shaft adapted to material rock said shaft towards said spool as the diame= ter of. the spooled material increases, and resilient means .operatively engaging said shaft for yieldingly resisting said rocking movement.

4. In combination, wire supplying means, a spooling mechanism comprising a freely rotatable spool, a belt pulley, a shaft therefor, a belt engaging said pulley and said spool and the material wound thereon, and a rocker bearing device for said shaft adapted to rock said shaft towards said spool as the diameter of the spooled increases including resilient means tending to hold said shaft from said spool to increase the spooling effort.

5. In a spooling mechanism, a freely rotatable spool, a drive pulley, said drive pulley being mounted to have its axis of rotation movable with respect to the axis of rotation of the spool, a belt drive from said drive pulley engaging the spool hub and the wound material thereon, whereby the drive pulley moves towards the spool as the wound material increases in diameter, and means for yieldingly resisting said drive pulley movement.

6. In a spooling mechanism, a freely rotatable spool, a drive pulley, said drive pulley being mounted to have its axis of rotation movable with respect to the axis of rotation of the spool, a belt drive from said drive pulley encircling the spool hub and the wound material thereon, whereby the drive pulley moves towards the spool as the wound material increases in diameter, and means for yieldingly resisting said drive pulley movement.

7. In a spooling mechanism, a freely rotatable spool, a drive pulley, said drive pulley being mounted to have its axis of rotation movable with respect to the axis of rotation of the spool,

a belt drive from said drive pulley engaging the spool hub and the wound material thereon, whereby the drive pulley moves towards the spool as the wound material increases in diameter, and means varying in correspondence to the drive pulley movement for yieldingly resisting the drive pulley movement.

JOHN B. MOSS. 

